Help me create a beautiful memoir before we move
Help me create a beautiful memoir before we move
If you’ve been to IPWC lately, you might’ve noticed things are starting to look a little… different.
Boxes appearing. Shelves emptying. That cozy, settled-in feeling starting to shift into something that looks more like transition.
We’re packing up. 🦄
Our move to the new location is happening at the end of February, and honestly? I’m feeling all the feelings.
Excitement for what’s coming. Gratitude for what’s been. And a whole lot of nostalgia for this little space that became so much more than I ever imagined.
How It All Started (Spoiler: It Was in a Park)
Let me tell you a story.
It was 2020. The world was… well, you remember. Uncertain. Strange. Scary, even.
At the time, I was doing part-time house calls—driving all over LA offering acupuncture and holistic care to pets. And if you remember 2020, all the veterinary hospitals had to go curbside.
People had to drop their pets off at the car. They couldn’t come inside. They couldn’t see what was happening. They could only talk to the vet through a phone or maybe a video call.
It was such a strange, disconnected time. 😔
And for me as a practitioner? I felt like I couldn’t show up the way I wanted to. I couldn’t truly be with the families. I couldn’t connect the way I knew healing required.
And clients at my conventional practice back then got frustrated, there were a lot of miscommunications and misunderstandings. Because people wanted to be partners in their pet’s care. They wanted to be there. To understand. To be part of the process.
And suddenly, I got really busy with my housecalls.
So busy that I couldn’t drive all over LA anymore. People started asking: “Can we just meet you somewhere?”
And so… I started doing acupuncture in the park. 🌳
I’m not kidding.
I’d set up in a local park, and families would come with their dogs (let’s be honest, I couldn’t exactly do this with cats 😂). At first it was one or two clients. Then three. Then five.
And then sometimes more.
There were days I’d be at the park all day long—dogs getting acupuncture under the trees, squirrels running by, families sitting in the grass with their pups, the California sunshine warming us all. ☀️
It was beautiful.
The dogs loved being outdoors. The families were so much more relaxed. And I could truly focus on what I loved most: connecting with them and helping their pets heal. 🦄💙
From Park Benches to This Little Room
Of course, I knew I couldn’t stay at the park forever. (I was pretty sure at some point someone was going to say, “Um, excuse me, you can’t run a vet practice in a public park.” 😅)
So when this space—the one you know now as IPWC—opened up, I thought: Okay, I’ll just use it as an extension of my house calls.
It was completely empty when I first walked in. Just blank walls and possibility.
I put down a mat and a small bed. (Yes, really. That was it.) 🧘♀️
And I thought:
This is fine. I’ll just do acupuncture here. Keep it simple.
But then… families started coming. And they wanted more.
So I added one thing at a time. Slowly. Thoughtfully.
And this little room became IPWC. 💜
The rest of the story, you know. But those early days? When it was just an empty space and I was figuring out what life might look like?
Those were some of the most beautiful moments of this whole journey. 🦄✨
Because all I wanted to do was offer something to animals that they couldn’t get anywhere else. Care that was gentle. Integrative. Heart-centered. Where families were true partners, not just bystanders.
And somehow, that vision became this. 💚
Sometimes an Ending is Just a New Beginning
Now, as we pack up this space and prepare to move, I’m feeling so many things.
Gratitude for every single family who walked through that door. Every pup who curled up on our soft pillows. Every cat who (reluctantly) tolerated our gentle care. Every moment of healing that happened here. 💙
Excitement for what’s coming—the new location with the outdoor space I’ve been dreaming about, more room to grow, a fresh chapter to write together. 🦄
And nostalgia. Because endings are bittersweet, even when they’re leading to something beautiful. 💜
I Want to Hear YOUR Story 💚
Before we pack it all up and move on, I want to create something special: a beautiful memoir of this space.
Not just my memories—but yours.
So here’s my ask:
What’s your favorite memory from this IPWC location?
Maybe it’s:
The first time you brought your pet here and felt like someone finally understood
A breakthrough moment when your pet started healing
A conversation that shifted how you saw your pet’s health
A funny, sweet, or touching moment with your fur baby here
Just a feeling—the way it felt to walk through the door and know you were in the right place
Send us an email and share your story with me. 📧
I want to take these memories with us. To honor this space for everything it’s been. To carry the heart of it into our next chapter. 🦄💜
Because this place? It was never just about the walls or the room or the location.
It was always about you. About us. About what we built together. 💚✨
I’ll be reading every single one. And I promise, these stories will come with us. They’ll be woven into the heart of whatever we build next. 🦄✨ I might even put them on our new walls!
Thank you for being here. Thank you for trusting us. Thank you for being part of this beautiful, messy, magical journey.
Here’s to endings that are really just new beginnings. 💚🦄
With so much love and gratitude,
Dr. Lily Chen & The IPWC Team 💜
P.S. We’re also planning something special for our community this year—meditation and Reiki sessions for you AND your pets. Stay tuned for details! 🧘♀️🐾✨
P.S.S. If you happen to have any photos of your pet at IPWC over the years, I’d absolutely love to see them! Send them my way—we might just create a little memory wall at the new location. 📸💙
